KANSAS CITY: KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - James Shields thinks back to last year, thoughtfully piecing together what was missing from the Kansas City Royals as they made a late push for the postseason.
The pitching was strong. The offense was coming around. The defense was sublime.
He finally settled on experience.
''These guys that didn't realize or have never been to September, when you're fighting for a playoff spot, now you have that experience,'' Shields said. ''And I think that was one of the things we were lacking last season, the experience. You tend to put too much on your shoulders. And I think the second half we definitely relaxed and put all that aside and had fun and played the game the way we know how to play, and it showed.
''I think with the experience factor now,'' Shields concluded, ''we're ready to go.''
After finishing 86-76 a year ago, and contending into September for the first time in a decade, the Royals have their sets sight squarely on their first playoff appearance since 1985 this year.
Anything less would be a disappointment. Anything less would be a failure.
''Last year was a blast. When the end of the season came in Chicago, nobody wanted to leave,'' first baseman Eric Hosmer said. ''They knew how close we were. We were right there. And it left a good taste in everyone's mouth going into the offseason, knowing how good everyone can be.''
Indeed, the Royals return most of their key players from a year ago, signing left-hander Jason Vargas to replace their only significant loss, starting pitcher Ervin Santana. They also upgraded at their weakest spots, trading for Norichika Aoki to play right field and bat leadoff and signing Omar Infante to settle a second base position that has been a black hole for years.
All of which left the notoriously frugal franchise with a record-setting payroll.
Royals manager Ned Yost hopes all those moves will pay off for a rotation that was among the league's best last year, and an offense that was among the league's worst.
''It's going to be a lineup that has offensive sequence from one to nine. You're not going to have any dead spots,'' Yost said. ''You're not going to get something going and then bam, run into a wall and have to get going again. At least, I hope not. I don't think so.''
So with more experience and an upgraded lineup, Kansas City enters its season opener Sunday at Detroit with boundless enthusiasm.

BALTIMORE: BALTIMORE (AP) - The transformation of the Baltimore Orioles clubhouse under manager Buck Showalter is complete.
No longer do the Orioles hope to win. They expect it.
When Showalter took over in July 2010, he inherited a team with the worst record in the majors. Having gone without a winning season since 1997, Baltimore could only hope Showalter's knack for orchestrating quick turnarounds would take hold in a town that had switched its allegiance from baseball to football.
By 2012, the Orioles were back. Baltimore won 93 games, beat Texas in the wild-card matchup and took the New York Yankees to the limit before falling in the AL division series.
After missing the postseason last year, the Orioles are poised for a return. They maintained the nucleus of a team that went 85-77 and was in contention to the final week, then added right-handed starter Ubaldo Jimenez and slugger Nelson Cruz to an already potent lineup that led the majors in home runs in 2013.
''When you have talent, you have confidence,'' right fielder Nick Markakis said. ''Put them together and good things usually happen. We've got that right now. We know we have a good team and we're going to roll with it.''
Although Jimenez and Cruz didn't come aboard until after the start of spring training, Showalter never wavered in his belief that the Orioles would challenge the defending champion Boston Red Sox and retooled Yankees in the AL East.
''I felt that way whether or not we added Nelson and Jimenez,'' he said. ''That's a poor reflection on me and my staff if we thought we needed more to win.''

The Baltimore Orioles couldn't carry their offensive surge into their series with the Kansas City Royals, who were able to take advantage and snap out of their slump.

Kansas City looks to win a fourth straight meeting with Baltimore as former Oriole Jeremy Guthrie takes the mound Saturday night at Camden Yards.

The Orioles (11-11) entered Friday's series opener coming off wins of 10-8 on Wednesday and 11-7 on Thursday over Toronto, but they were cooled by Royals starter Yordano Ventura in a 5-0 loss.

Nick Markakis, Matt Wieters and J.J. Hardy each had two hits for Baltimore, which went 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position. It got only one runner past second base against Ventura in eight innings.

Kansas City (11-11), which had lost four of five, ranks among the AL's best with a 3.15 ERA, and Guthrie will look to improve his own numbers after making costly mistakes in his last outing.

Guthrie (2-1, 4.68 ERA) has pitched at least into the sixth inning in each of his four starts, but he's allowed four runs three times. He allowed four runs and 10 hits - including two homers for the second straight game - over 6 1-3 of a 4-3 loss at Cleveland on Monday.

"The two (two-run) homers are what did the damage," manager Ned Yost said. "Outside of that, I thought he threw the ball well."

The right-hander, who went 47-65 with a 4.12 ERA in 153 starts and eight relief appearances for the Orioles from 2007-11, won both of his starts while posting a 1.50 ERA against his former team last season.

Chris Davis is 1 for 16 with a homer and six strikeouts off Guthrie, but Davis' status going forward is uncertain after he left in the fifth inning Friday due to a strained left oblique.

"We'll know more about it (Saturday)," Davis said. "I've never had an oblique strain or whatever you want to call it, but it doesn't feel so bad right now that I can't move or anything like that. So I think right now we'll just take it one day at a time."

Adam Jones, who went 0 for 4, said he hopes Davis doesn't rush back if the injury continues to bother him.

"CD is a big, big part of our lineup and part of our plan," Jones said. "Whatever it is, you just want him to take his time and not rush it because it could be longer."

The Orioles will look to bounce back with help from Wei-Yin Chen, whose record is a bit deceiving considering how he's struggled at times.

Chen (3-1, 4.91) has picked up the victory in three straight starts, though he's allowed eight runs and walked five in 16 1-3 innings in that stretch. He gave up three runs and walked three in five frames of a 7-6 win at Boston on Monday.

The left-hander is 0-1 with a 5.18 ERA in four career starts against the Royals, but he was solid while allowing three runs in 7 1-3 innings of Baltimore's 4-3 loss the last time he faced them July 24.

Billy Butler is 7 for 12 with a triple and two doubles and Eric Hosmer is 5 for 11 off Chen, with each hitting a pair of homers.

Butler went 2 for 5 with two RBIs in the series opener after going 2 for 16 over his previous four games.